Wine Advisor
Paolo Conterno, Barolo Ginestra Riserva 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
This Riserva ages in botte grand for six long years before the wine is brought to market. The Paolo Conterno 2012 Barolo Ginestra Riserva brings us back in time to a warm vintage and a short growing season. This wine is drinking beautifully right now, as the folks back at the winery have taken care of the cellar aging for you. Fruit comes from a south-facing plot in Ginestra (in Monforte d'Alba) that is planted to 40-year-old vines some 300 to 350 meters above sea level. This is the perfect positioning for Nebbiolo grapes. The wine unfolds to reveal dark fruit, tilled earth, crushed violets and candied orange peel. There is plenty of that distinctive Nebbiolo tar and licorice as well. This is a vintage of power and width. Some 4,000 bottles were made.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Very pretty now with berry, cedar and walnut character. It’s medium-bodied with firm yet juicy tannins and a savory finish. Drink now and enjoy.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 Barolo Ginestra Riserva is gorgeous. Fresh, aromatic and beautifully lifted, the 2012 is all grace. Ginestra Barolos are often brawny and powerful. Conterno's 2012 stands out for its sensuality, finesse and total sense of harmony. Bright acids perk up a core of sweet red berry fruit as the 2012 gradually reveals its many charms.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2012 Barolo Riserva Ginestra is richer and deeper than the straight Barolo Ginestra, but it also has more tannic heft that may or may not fully integrate. In the grand scheme of things, the two Barolos from Ginestra aren’t that meaningfully different at this stage in the game.
About the Producer
Paolo Conterno founded Casa della Ginestra in 1886, not long after the birth of Barolo as we know it. He was one of the very first growers in the Langhe to sell barrels of wine directly to consumers from the cellar, eschewing the well-established négociants of the time. He developed a loyal following of connoisseurs demanding his wines, and the independent estate has prospered over now five generations. Today Giorgio Conterno is at the helm of winery, which produces brilliant, classically styled expressions from the Ginestra cru, renown for wines with dark colors, brooding tannins and incredible aromatics—hallmarks of its dense, clay-heavy Helvetian soil and relatively high elevation. The estate’s style is rooted in tradition: extended macerations and long aging in large casks, with the resulting wines perfectly reflecting Ginestra’s excellence: laser pure perfumes, great balance, approachability and long potential for aging.
